Here we explain how to enable Two-Factor Authentication on Apple ID / iCloud account as well as the difference between Two-Step Verification and Two-Factor Authentication, and how to opt-out of Two-Step Verification if it’s already enabled on an Apple ID.

Keeping your Apple ID safe and secure has never been more important. Not only does it have your payment details locked in, meaning anyone with access to your account can start downloading apps, video or music, but it also plays host to your emails if you use an @icloud.com email address. Strong passwords are a must – you do have a strong password, don’t you? – but sometimes a little extra security must be in order.

The world may be getting smaller and smaller thanks to the world wide web and modern technologies, but that doesn’t mean that everything that’s available to rent or buy in one country is available in them all. Apple’s iTunes is a prime example of that, with some content available in the United States but not in others, and even some of that content that is available internationally is delayed before making its way outside the U.S. borders. It’s a pain, but as always, there’s a way around it.

Essential activities like banking, shopping and sending emails can all be achieved from the palm of our hands through a device that fits snugly in a trouser pocket. But with all that power comes an increased level of responsibility to protect ourselves and the people we communicate with online. Malicious groups that have previously attempted to target Apple ID holders through official looking phishing scams are at it again with a new “account validation” scam.

The more popular the App Store has become, the more susceptible users have become to breach of account, it would seem. Naturally, Apple has upped the ante in an effort to combat the potential threat, although as some users have been finding out, the added security measures do seem to bear the hallmarks of a scam.